The 1677 eruption of La Palma, Canary Islands

J. C. Carracedo; S. Day; H. Guillou; E. Rodríguez Badiola

doi:10.3989/egeol.96523-4258

The 1677 eruption of La Palma, Canary Islands

Authors

J. C. Carracedo Volcanological Station of the Canary Islands. CSIC - Cheltenham and Gloucester College of Higher Education
S. Day Cheltenham and Gloucester College of Higher Education
H. Guillou Centre des Faibles Radioactivités. CEA-CNRS
E. Rodríguez Badiola Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales. CSIC

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3989/egeol.96523-4258

Keywords:

Volcanism, historie eruptions, eruptive processes, La Palma, Canary Islands

Abstract

The 1677 volcanic eruption, located close to the town of Fuencaliente at the south end of La Palma, has been associated with the large volcanic cone of San Antonio, an emission centre showing relatively high energy phreatomagmatic phases. However, detailed geological mapping and a reinterpretation of available eye-witness accounts elearly prove the San Antonio emission centre to be a preexisting volcano related to an eruption that occurred several thousands years earlier. The 1677 eruption, or Volcán de Fuencaliente is a low magnitude eruption composed of a small strombolian vent and a cluster of aligned spatter vents. About 75-125 x 10⁶ m³ of lavas from these spatter vents covered an area of 4.5 x 10⁶ m² and formed a wide coastal platform with 1.6 x 10⁶ m² of new land gained from the sea. This modest magnitude eruption is in better accord with the negligible damage caused to the area reported in the contemporary accounts. This revision of the 1677 eruption and its magnitude is relevant for the precise reconstruction of the recent volcanism of La Palma and the correct definition of volcanic hazards in the island.

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Published

1996-08-30

How to Cite

Carracedo, J. C., Day, S., Guillou, H., & Rodríguez Badiola, E. (1996). The 1677 eruption of La Palma, Canary Islands. Estudios Geológicos, 52(3-4), 103–114. https://doi.org/10.3989/egeol.96523-4258

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Issue

Vol. 52 No. 3-4 (1996)

Section

Articles

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